Easter Eve
by clemonlime
Summary: I was making paper footballs with the wrapping paper behind the counter, I'd actually built a considerably large pile, when a purple and corduroy blur ran through the door. He was so fast in entering the place that the bell rang after he set a small box on the table in front of me.


It was the night before Easter, nearly 10:30 at night, and I was getting ready to close up. Jack was at Jessica's house because I was given the late night shift on one of the nights of the year that families were pretty much required to spend time together. But, I needed the money. I'd see him in the morning anyway, and that job was what allowed me to get all of the presents that Jack needed on all the holidays. At least he'd be happy in the morning.

I was making paper footballs with the wrapping paper behind the counter, I'd actually built a considerably large pile, when a purple and corduroy blur ran through the door. He was so fast in entering the place that the bell rang after he set a small box on the table in front of me.

"Can you wrap this?" He panted, his hair matted to his forehead with sweat even when it was pretty cold outside for a Spring night. I almost didn't answer, waiting for the guy to dissolve before my eyes and I'd wake up from sleeping on the job. Everyone was at home, asleep with all of their presents already set up with a note from the Easter bunny, and this guy—this kid—was trying to get a gift wrapped. Two hours before Easter began

"Sure..." I said slowly, picking up the box and looking at it with a raised eyebrow. "Physics Magic Kit?"

He smiled and nodded, "For my godson, I'm flying down to see him tomorrow. I was going to get it wrapped tomorrow but, uh... I realized everything's gonna be closed."

"Smart," I commented, unable to look away from the box in my hands. It was strange. The guy obviously didn't have any understanding of kids. The chances of his godson (which, by the way, this guy looked about 12 if not for his scruff around his chin and swirling around his Adam's apple) liking physics as much as the brunette man standing in the shop were slim. Very, very slim. "Your godson likes physics magic?"

"Yeah! I mean, I think so. I'll show him how to work all the bells and whistles," he shifted on his feet, his hands tapping on the counter. "I liked physics when I was a kid."

"Well, sir, in my personal experience-"

"Spencer," he mumbled and I shook my head. Such a strange person.

"Well, Spencer, in my personal experience, kids like magic but they aren't big fans of the physics part," I turned the box around and pointed to the description, "And they certainly don't want to read a textbook, even if it comes free with the kit."

Spencer huffed, "I'm not good with kids."

"Follow me," I gestured with my hand and he walked around the counter to walk into the back room where we held all the good presents that employees could get easy picking for. But I never did, because it felt like cheating. "Does your godson like any of these?"

"Um..." Spencer stepped into the room and carefully walked up to each of the shelves. "I don't know what kind of toys he likes."

"Maybe you could call his parents?" I offered, "I know you probably didn't want them to know you procrastinated on your gift, but I'm sure you'd rather get a good present."

"Can I still give him the Physics Magic?" Spencer asked, pulling a phone from his pocket—a flip phone, of course.

"Sure, Spencer," I said, laughing. "Just ask if the kid likes VR or Barbies and work from there."

"I think Jayje mentioned him liking Emily's old Polly Pockets," Spencer shrugged, and hung up the phone. "I'd rather it be a surprise. I think those VR things could really blow his mind."

I nodded slowly and gathered up both the VR and a few of the new editions of the dolls (Hayley used to tell me that she wanted Jack to understand what real women looked like rather than the weird unhealthy versions) and started out of the room.

"Oh, um..." Spencer stopped me and looked at my name tag, "Aaron, I can't afford all of this."

"Don't worry. This was the employee stash, anyway. It's on the house," I opened the door with my free hand and nodded my head to tell him to go first, "Plus your lack of knowledge about children makes me nervous for your godson."

"Rude," Spencer mumbled, slipping out of the room and heading back around the counter. "Thank you so much. I'm really lost about this whole thing. I didn't even know kids got presents on Easter. I thought it was just candy and stuff."

"Did you get presents when you were a kid?" I asked, kind of interested in Corduroy's childhood.

"Not really?" Spencer shrugged and slid the Kit over with the other gifts I'd already wrapped, "My mom was a 1500s history professor, so usually she just let me sleep all day in her bed and we'd read Bible verses until nighttime. I guess times have changed since then."

"You're young," I told him with a chuckle, as I wrapped the final present. "Even I got presents when I was a kid. I guess you were just an anomaly."

"Probably," Spencer took the presents in his arms and sighed heavily, "Thank you so much. This was a lot easier that I thought it would have been."

"If you'd come here any other day, you'd have been shacked up with Dave," I remarked, "You would have paid a fortune just for the Physics Kit wrapping, much less others."

Spencer giggled, a word I'd never really used to describe someone's laugh, and thanked me again before walking out of the store, leaving me to go back to my paper footballs.

He came back within a few minutes with a scrap of paper in his hand and a blush on his face. "What's this?"

"What's what?" I smiled.

"This tag," he held it up and hurriedly walked up to the counter, "I found it on one of the... and it has..."

"That's a number," I told him, trying to keep the laugh out of my voice as he looked curiously at me, "My number."

"Okay, but why did I need it?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he turned it over and back again, "Did I have to call to ensure my satisfaction with my service, or?"

I stared at him for a long time, a look of amazement on my face, until his eyes widened and he looked at the tag.

"Wait, this is... and you're..." he pointed at me before his face became even redder. "Oh."

"I don't know where your godson lives, or where you do, for that matter, but whenever you're back in town, you can call anytime."

"They live in New Orleans, but I just live down the street a ways," he scratched the back of his neck and nodded slowly, "I will call you, though. This is an interesting development, I... okay, I'll call you, thanks!"

Then he ran out, stumbling over his own feet, stuffing my phone number into his pocket and mumbling to himself. I smiled to myself. My nose wrinkled as I felt something scrape behind my ear. I reached back and pulled a business card from behind it. Spencer's business card. I looked and started laughing. Physics Magic indeed.


End file.
